Growing Up
by IAmKayDubs
Summary: What if things were different? What if Rin and Nitori didn't meet when they got their room assignments at Samezuka, but instead when they were much, much younger? AU where Nitori and Rin meet as babies! Enjoy!
1. Part 1

Part 1/2

* * *

Rin and Nitori met for the first time when they were only babies. Rin was two, and Nitori was barely over one.

Their mothers had met each other during a meeting at their workplace, and upon finding out that the both of them had very young sons, they decided it was crucial that their children had a play date.

So it was set. Rin's mother arrived early on a Saturday morning, with one arm around Rin as she carried him against her side.

"Hiroko-san, welcome!" Nitori's mother smiled warmly as she opened the door. "Come on in."

Rin's mother did as she was asked. She entered the cozy house, taking a warm cup of tea when it was offered. Nitori's mom told Rin's that their sons could play in the living room while they drank their tea on the couch.

Rin was set down gently on the carpeted floor as his mother took her seat on the couch a few feet away.

Rin sat up straight, pulling his legs into the crossed position.

He watched as a boy much tinier than him stared at him, large turquoise eyes gazing curiously.

Rin waited for the other boy to move, but he didn't move from his spot on his stomach.

Instead of waiting longer, Rin stood up slowly, wobbling on tiny feet, and walked over to where the other boy was laying.

"Hi." Rin's voice was a bit raspy.

The smaller kid just stared at him. Slowly, the kid pulled himself into the sitting position, his legs shaking a bit.

"Hi..." The smaller boys voice was high pitched and gentle.

"I'm Rin. Who are you?"

The younger boy seemed to have trouble forming a full sentence, though in his mind what he wanted to say.

"Ai." A simple word, muttered in the place of a full introduction.

Rin nodded slowly, grinning widely. Upon his teeth being revealed, however, Nitori stumbled backwards, his eyes wider than ever.

His bright blue eyes were brimmed with tears when he sat back up, now a few feet away from Rin.

Rin was a bit startled. Why was his new friend so scared all of a sudden?

"Ai?" Rin asked, as he began to feel worried. "Ai?"

Nitori's bottom lip trembled, nervousness clear on his bright features.

Nitori pointed a shaky finger at Rin's face. "Shark."

Rin poked at one of his sharp teeth with a pudgy finger. He then understood why his new friend was scared. He though Rin was an actual shark.

Rin slowly got into the crawling position- in his mind it was a way to be less intimidating- and looked at Nitori. He kept his mouth tightly shut as he crawled towards his new friend.

Nitori shook his head, causing a few tears to drip down.

"It's okay." Rin assured him. "I'm not scary. I'm safe."

Nitori gazed at him, fright still evident in his eyes.

"Shark...?" Nitori muttered.

Rin shook his head. "No."

The fear in Nitori's eyes faded, returning his eyes to the gentle turquoise color that they were meant to be.

Rin, despite his usual cautiousness around people, pulled himself next to Nitori, plopping down close enough that their sides touched.

Slowly, Rin wrapped a short arm around Nitori, gripping the younger boys shoulder and pulling his little body against his own.

Nitori stared upwards, locking eyes with the boy who was hugging him. The older one smiled, gently this time, to show that he wasn't a scary shark-boy.

Much to Rin's pleasure, a wide smiled broke out on his new friends face. A few teeth were missing, but that was to be expected.

Their mothers had begun to watch fondly by this point, and they knew that the two boys would be friends for quite a long time.

* * *

They had many play dates in the following days and years, lasting even when they were seven and eight.

They went to the same elementary school, and although Rin made some new friends, he never ditched Nitori. Though, admittedly, it was hard to be together as much as they wanted, since they weren't in the same class.

One day there was a pack of bullies swarming the school yard. There were four of them, anyone they challenged wouldn't stand a chance.

Nitori was one of the unlucky targets. The pack of kids surrounded him, pushing him into the corner of a school building near the playground.

Nitori whimpered, tears threatening to spill. This just made the bullies laugh harder, and shove more often.

Nitori felt little scratches gracing his light skin, from where he boys were grabbing at him. He tried his hardest to shove them away, but his tiny size and the difference in numbers made it impossible.

Just when he thought he was going to get lost in panic, he heard a raspy yet strong voice. He smiled widely, despite everything. He knew that voice with certainty, and he words couldn't express how happy he was to hear the voice.

"Let go! Leave him alone." Rin spoke harshly, but he was trying not to lose his temper.

The boys looked at Rin briefly, but they brushed him off, crowding  
around Nitori once again.

"I said get off!" Rin's temper was clearly worn thin. He grabbed two of the four by the back of their shirts, yanking them back. Nitori took this new opportunity, with two of them surprised and two of them held by Rin, to attack on his own. He looked down at the only thing holding him back from freedom, the hand pressed against his chest.

So, he did the first thing that came to mind.

He bit down hard on the hand.

The kid tore his hand away in shock, allowing Nitori to break free and Rin towards Rin. He took a spot beside him, as Rin shoved the two boys back, releasing their shirts so they fell forward.

Rin glared at all of the boys, until they finally shook their heads and stalked off.

Rin turned towards Nitori, eyes gentle with worry. "They didn't hurt ya too badly, right?"

Nitori shook his head. "Nothing major... Thanks for saving me..."

"No problem. Besides, you got a good move in there too! Good job."

Nitori grinned cheekily, his missing front tooth smile radiating. 

* * *

The downfall came four years later. Rin was twelve, Nitori was eleven. Both of them had gotten into swimming, in Nitori's case because of Rin.

They had a tournament coming up. Nitori was upset about being on a different team than Rin, since Rin had been moved to a different elementary school, but he knew that Rin had other friends on his team.

A day before the tournament, Rin and Nitori were eating breakfast and Rin's house. Rin's mother and little sister had gone shopping, leaving the two boys to talk... And Rin had a lot to say.

"Hey, Ai?"

"Yes?"

"I uh... I'm kinda..."

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah..." Rin sucked in a breath. "I'm moving."

Nitori's eyes widened. "Wh-what? When...? And where are you going?"

"The day after tomorrow... I'm going to Australia. There's a special swimming school there, I'm going to work on my training."

"Oh..." Nitori dropped his gaze to his lap.

"Don't worry, I won't be there forever, I'll visit!" Rin tried desperately to cheer up his friend.

"Okay, that's good...!" Nitori was still stricken by the news, but he didn't want to cause Rin any trouble.

"I'm not going to get to see you the day I leave though... Meet up with me after the tournament, okay?"

"Sure." Nitori smiled.

* * *

The next day rolled around too quickly. Nitori was not in top condition, as he was stressed over how his race would go, and worried about Rin moving.

Nitori exited the locker room, glancing around the pool area, looking for Rin. He saw him in a bunch with three other swimmers. Nitori knew Rin and these other three boys were best friends, they had grown extremely close since Rin joined their club. If Nitori recalled correctly, they were Tachibana Makoto, Hazuki Nagisa, and Nanase Haruka.

Nitori didn't want to bother them, so he walked over slowly to where his team was gathered. None of the kids in his club ever really talked to him, not that he really minded, he had Rin after all.

He did now, at least. Nitori knew that he would feel quite lonely once his shark toothed friend left.

Eventually, it was Rin's turn to race in the relay with his friends. Nitori got a good look from the sidelines, watching intently.

Their breaststroke swimmer, Makoto, went first. Then came Nagisa, the breaststroke swimmer. Then Rin himself... The butterfly swimmer. Nitori watched with awe as Rin moved dynamically through the blue water, smiling even as he came up for air. He made the turn, came speeding for the wall, touched it, and watched as Haruka dove. Rin's face lit up with something that Nitori had never seen before. It was a look of pure joy and shock, and it stayed plastered on his face even as Rin got out of the pool, and as he watched Haruka swam. Nitori had never seen Rin so happy... Never.

The Iwatobi elementary team came in first. It was to be expected, they were a perfect team.

Nitori watched as Rin slung his arms around Makoto and Haruka, laughing joyously. Nagisa clung to them all, completing the circle.

Nitori was both content and sad as he watched them. He knew Rin was happy, and he knew that those other three made him happy. However, he knew that he wasn't going to get to say goodbye to Rin.

He wasn't going to interfere. He wasn't going to rush in and destroy the happy moment that Rin was having. He just wouldn't...

* * *

So by the next week, Rin was long gone, and Nitori was alone. He sat on his bed, reading a book and absentmindedly twirled bits of his silvery hair.

Suddenly he heard a faint ring. It went off once, and he recognized it as being his phones texting tone. Who would have messaged him? His family members and a few kids he didn't know well were in his contacts, but that was it...

New Text: Matsuoka Rin  
Hey, Ai, I didn't see you at the tournament! I wanted to say goodbye... I guess you couldn't find me in the mass of people? It was very crowded. Anyways, Iwatobi won the race, did you hear?

Talk to ya later,  
Rin.

Nitori stared at his phone for a moment. Rin? He had forgotten Rin even had his number, since neither of them used their phones very often.

He was glad Rin thought Nitori not saying goodbye at the tournament was accidental. He felt Rin would scold him if he knew Nitori's through process relating to his absence.

Nitori typed out a quick text.

To: Matsuoka Rin

Yeah, I got lost in the crowd and couldn't find you, and I didn't go to you house because I figured you'd be busy... Sorry!

-Nitori

Nitori shut his phone and layed back on the bed. Rin never texted back, but Nitori knew he was busy... Of course... He was just busy. 

* * *

Days, weeks, months, and eventually years passed. Nitori had tried desperately to contact Rin, but nothing worked. Nitori just assumed he was fixated on his swimming; he didn't have time to have mindless chats.

Time had done a lot to both boys. Five years had passed, and this meant change for the both of them. Nitori had followed in Rin's footsteps, making the decision to go to a prestigious swimming boarding school, Samezuka Academy.

Nitori's parents had to go to a business meeting on Nitori's first day of school, so they had simply dropped him off, leaving him to lug his bags in on his own. Classes wouldn't be starting until the next day, luckily, so Nitori had time to unpack.

He slammed the door to his dorm room as he walked in, stumbling as he carried his bags. He dropped them in the center of the room, grabbing a paper from his pants pocket once his hands were free. It was the paper that gave him information about the year. Another page was folded with it, the one that would show his roommate assignment.

After briefly glancing over the years information, he tossed it down on one of the desks. He took the roommate assignment sheet and gently unfolded it.

His hands shook, and he nearly dropped the paper when he read the name.

His new roommate...

Matsuoka Rin...

* * *

Authors Note:

Well, Rintori is officially taking over my notes and my mind xD Oh well, these dorks are super adorable, so I can't complain.  
Just to note, I know Rin's mother probably isn't actually named Hiroko, but since her name isn't ever mentioned, I made one up. Also, I know that Rin didn't have his pointy teeth until his late teens or so, but the idea of baby Nitori being terrified by Rin's shark teeth has been floating around in my mind for weeks, and I just had to write it! :D  
Whelp, that's it! Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed!


	2. Part 2

Part 2:

Rin?!

Why was Rin listed as his roommate...? Rin was studying in Australia... Why would he show up here?

Nitori hadn't spoken to Rin, or even texted him, since the week after the tournament... Would Rin even recognize him? Or even remember him at all? With all of his years away, maybe he would have forgotten Nitori ever existed.

Nitori slowly organized his stuff and shoved it in the corner, not wanting to pick a bed until Rin arrived, he'd let his elder pick first.

It took twenty minutes, but Nitori's new roommate finally showed up.

The door swung open harshly, and Nitori heard someone curse loudly. A few bags were visible first, being pushed through by their clearly peeved owner.

The bags were dropped, and the door was slammed shut.

"Need some help with that?" Nitori asked gently from the desk he was seated at.

Rin seemed to pause for a second, and he came around the corner so he could see his roommate.

Rin was about to speak, but Nitori spoke first.

"I'm Nitori Aiichirou, nice to meet you."

Rin's eyes were wide. "Why... Why are you introducing yourself?"

It was Nitori's turn to be shocked. "You actually remember me?"

"Of course...! Dude, I've known you since I was two." Nitori noticed that Rin's voice was no longer raspy and perky, it was a deep rumble that had no excited undertones.

"It's been five years, I expected you to forget."

"How could I?" Rin shook his head. "I swear, Nitori, you don't give me enough credit."

Nitori smiled widely at this. Despite Rin's new gruff personality, Nitori knew that the old Rin was still there.

"What's that grin for...?" Rin muttered, but Nitori could tell there was no hostility in his tone.

"I've just missed you." Nitori said simply.

Rin was still a bit shocked. He rubbed the back of his neck, avoiding eye contact with Nitori. "I've, uh, I've missed you too..."

Nitori's eyes lit up, and he jumped out of his seat, running towards Rin. He tossed arms around him quickly, hugging him tightly.

"Wha-"

Nitori pulled away after a moment. "I'm sorry, it's just been too long."

Rin ruffled Nitori's hair. "Yeah, it has been." His voice was a whisper.

Nitori smiled lightly and changed the subject entirely, as he knew Rin hated sappy situations.

He pointed at Rin's suitcases. "Do you need any help with those?" Nitori let his gaze drift towards the set of bunk beds. "And do you want the top or bottom?"

"Huh?" Rin was a bit surprised.

"The beds, you dork."

Rin blinked. "Yeah." He took a look as well. "Bottom."

Nitori had to hold back a laugh at Rin's distant demeanor.

Rin saw Nitori's face, which was a bit scrunched up as he tried to hold back his laughter. Rin shook his head and snapped defensively.

"Shut up!"

Nitori just laughed.

* * *

Things began to settle into a pattern. Nitori and Rin knew each other well enough that meshing with each other's schedules was easy.

Nitori was still messy. Rin had always hated the habit Nitori had of hoarding unnecessary things. Rin, of course, had his flaws as well. Sadly enough... His turned out to be worse than some simple messiness.

He was growing distant. Cold, even. Nitori tried not to misunderstand his roommates anger, he knew a fallout had occurred between Rin and his old friends from the relay. It became harder as days went on, however.

Rin began to shout at Nitori, snapping at him for the littlest things. Nitori knew that Rin had always had a short temper, but it began to worry him... Rin's health couldn't stay high in the state he was in.

Nitori always tried to help, but it usually just resulted in a harsh snap, or a brush of that hand that told Nitori "you aren't needed now."

It never bothered him too much, though. He knew and understood that Rin was having difficult times, it wasn't his fault that he was so angry all of the time.

The day of the finals came. Rin had been taken off of the relay for their school, and he was a mess. Nitori could see it clearly, but he didn't dare confront Rin about it.

Instead of annoying Rin, he decided to do his best to cheer him on.

It was time for his 100 meter free. Nitori watched intently from the bleachers, silently giving his best wishes to Rin.

Nitori knew after a few moments, however, that his wishes would prove ineffective. Rin had a late start, and his swimming was nothing close to its usual perfection. Nitori had been right, Rin was in a bad state... It hurt Nitori to see him that way... And he wasn't going to wait around.

Once Rin managed to drag himself out of the pool, Nitori was already on his tail. He shouted for his friend, begging him to listen, but Rin refused. Rin simply wouldn't take any form of reason from him.

"Listen to me, Matsuoka-Senpai!" Nitori had taken to calling him that as they drifted apart. Calling him Rin didn't seem appropriate once Rin started calling him Nitori.

They resided in a hallway that led towards the exit. Rin was trying to leave, and Nitori couldn't stand to let him.

Rin was furious. Not at anyone else... Not at anyone besides himself. He was worthless, he had no skill. At least he believed so.

"SHUT UP!" Rin cried, swinging his fist out and slamming it into the window beside him. Luckily, it didn't break, it only trembled profusely.

Nitori flinched, although he was sadly almost used to the violent displays. He had never actually been hit, but some accidents had been close to occurring.

Rin kicked a trash can, causing it to fly across the room, spreading trash everywhere.

"Senpai, STOP!" Nitori shouted, truly desperate to calm Rin down. "If you don't, they won't let you compete in any more tournaments!"

"I don't care! Don't you see? It doesn't matter! I'm done swimming!"

Rin stormed off. Nitori saw Rin's three old teammates and a fourth boy staring in pained shock. He knew that they were the only ones who could fix Rin's issue with swimming. He hated to admit that he wasn't good enough to help, but he knew it was true.

He just gave them a silent look of gratitude, mixed with internal hurt, since he knew that they would help Rin very soon.

He saw that they were still frozen for the time being, he knew it would take them a moment to recover from the frightening scene they had witnessed. So he chased after Rin, just to make sure he didn't damage his surroundings or himself too badly.

Eventually, he lost sight of Rin. He knew he had to leave it up to the Iwatobi swimmers.

He found his way back to the team, where Captain Mikoshiba was standing with his arms crossed and foot tapping.

"Where's Matsuoka?" He demanded.

Nitori shook his head. "He ran. I tried chasing him... But I can't help him with this. His old friends need to fix him right now."

Mikoshiba's expression softened. He could tell that Nitori was torn up, anyone who knew how much Nitori looked up to Rin could tell. The captain just nodded and instructed Nitori to keep an eye out for him just in case he returned.

Eventually, Rin did return. Nitori didn't see him until the rest of the team did, when Rin was in line for the Iwatobi relay. The blue haired boy with glasses that had been with group earlier had gone, Rin took his place. Nitori thought back to the relay as children. How Nitori stood on the sidelines and watched the mesmerized gaze fill Rin's face as he swam with his friends. He remembered how happy he felt when he walked away, knowing hat even if he would miss Rin when he moved, he would take joy in the fact that the last face Nitori ever saw Rin make was one of true happiness.

Sunset fell over the world by the end of the tournament, and Rin was bowing down in front of the captain. After muttering some apologies, he stood up straight.

Rin broke his gaze away from Mikoshiba's for a moment, letting his rest on Nitori.

"I'm, uh, sorry for yelling at you."

Nitori shook his head. "It's no problem!" He smiled, though it felt a bit hollow.

"-you can kick me off the swim team-" Nitori tuned back into the conversation and that was what he heard.

"Matsuoka-senpai, you can't-"

"No." Captain Mikoshiba's voice rumbled as he spoke. "I have a better way for you to make up for your actions."

Nitori saw the way Rin got a lump in his throat, almost as if his emotions were reaching up and strangling him from the inside. It broke Nitori's heart to see Rin frightened.

"Swim the way you just did for our team." Mikoshiba cracked a killer grin.

The captain directed the team towards the busses, but Nitori stayed behind with a shocked, yet relieved, Rin.

"Nitori." Rin spoke up, his voice rumbling in a manor similar to the captains. He paused for a moment, before rubbing his neck slowly and adverting his eyes. "Er... Ai."

Before he could continue, Nitori flung himself towards Rin, hugging him tightly just like he did the day he and Rin met again in the dorms.

Instead of being hesitant this time, Rin hugged his friend tightly. He hated how he had treated Nitori in the past months, and he hoped the hug would at least show some of his gratitude towards Nitori, since his friend had stayed by him even when he shouldn't have.

"Rin?"

"Yeah, Ai?"

"You're not leaving again, are you? You aren't going to a swimming school in Germany or anything, right?" Nitori's tone was playful and light, but his question about Rin leaving was sincere.

Rin broke away from the hug gently, chuckling warmly. "No. I plan on staying right here." Rin took a breath in. "Also... Ai, I'm going to be a better friend. I know I've been horrible lately, and you stuck with me, even when I was the equivalent of dog crap on your shoe."

Nitori was about to object the that final remark, but Rin kept talking. "I promise I'll get better. You deserve so much more than I've been giving you. I missed having you as a friend when I went to Australia, and when I came back and got the chance to reconcile, I screwed it all up. I really want to try to get better... No, I WILL get better."

The determination in Rin's voice reminded Nitori of Rin's younger self, the one full of ambition, ready to tackle any challenge that came his way.

"Okay, Rin. I'm glad. Thank you." Nitori's voice was relaxed and gentle.

"We should get to the bus." Rin said, placing a hand on Nitori's back.

Nitori nodded, allowing Rin's hand to stay on the middle of his back as they walked.

* * *

AN:

Well, I was originally going to make this a purely two-part story, but I felt like this moved quicker than I wanted, and the only easy way to end it was the way I did (otherwise it would have seemed choppy and it would have been wayyyy too long)

So, I'm going to make an epilogue, and I want your input! I want you to let me know what you would like to see happen. (I already have a few possible routes, but I want to know what YOU want.) Do you want them to end up dating? Or would you rather see them being besties for life? Whatever it may be, I'd like to know what you want to see :)

Hope you enjoyed! :D


End file.
